Privatization

News about Privatization, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 26, 2015

Christopher B Epps, former commissioner of Mississippi Corrections Dept, and onetime lawmaker Cecil McCrory plead guilty to corruption charges involving state contracts with private prisons industry.; federal inquiry has sparked calls for investigation into Mississippi's process for awarding state contracts and has raised questions about use of private prisons. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column describes how passenger posing as screening officer at San Francisco airport has raised concerns about use of private screening contractors; notes incident occurred in face of renewed controversy about Transportation Security Administration's management of its privatization program. MORE

Jun. 23, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Francisco Goldman criticizes administration of Mexican Pres Enrique Pena Nieto for holding important negotiations over national oil company Pemex during World Cup soccer fervor, when much of population is distracted; holds that timing may be designed to mask power grab, and that such an action would have past precedent in country's telecommunications reforms. MORE

Dec. 13, 2013

Pres Enrique Pena Nieto is on verge of rewriting Constitution to open Mexico's national oil, gas and electricity industry to private investment; move, expected to lure international oil companies and expand North America’s energy supply, would be biggest economic change in Mexico in decades; legislation declares that Mexico still owns oil, but allows private businesses to drill for oil and gas in partnership with state monopoly. MORE

Aug. 20, 2013

Greek government's efforts to sell state-owned assets is sidetracked again when Stelios Stavridis, chairman of the privatization agency, is forced to resign after taking a vacation ride on private jet of Greek oil tycoon; government insists large sell-offs are still on track. MORE

Jul. 11, 2013

British government says it plans to sell majority stake in Royal Mail, country’s postal service, and will give some shares free to workers; says initial public offering, which would be the biggest privatization in country since railroads 20 years ago, will proceed in London before end of March 2014. MORE

Mar. 3, 2013

Assemblywoman Debora J Glick of Manhattan is fighting plans to raise money for the repair and maintenance of Pier 40 in Manhattan's Hudson River Park by building luxury revenue-producing condominiums; Glick's opposition to any residential development in the park has her seen as both an obstructionist contributing to the possible collapse of the Pier and a principled stalwart standing against privatization. MORE

Jan. 16, 2013

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column says that as government seeks ways to save cash by outsourcing services, it might be wise to keep in mind that private efforts need clear goals and close monitoring, lest they veer in unintended directions. MORE

Nov. 18, 2012

Privatization in Greece is viewed as last hope for luring foreign cash, as country redoubles its efforts to cut its debt and stoke its economy; effort has been sputtering, however; Greece is required to raise 50 billion euros through privatizations by 2022, but that amount will trim only up to 1 percent from debt. MORE

Nov. 12, 2012

Chinese leaders extol accomplishments of 10 years of reform in its cultural sector at Communist Party's 18th congress; say government has privatized thousands of publishers, newspapers and cultural groups while promoting industries that can spread soft power abroad. MORE

Jul. 17, 2012

Economists question Cuba’s commitment to private enterprise after news spreads of the government's decision to charge steep customs duties on informal imports, from Miami and elsewhere, that are the lifeblood of many young businesses. MORE

Jun. 24, 2012

Cities across the United States have dabbled for years with various levels of privatization, but few have taken the idea as far as Sandy Springs, Ga; Atlanta suburb of 94,000 residents is run and built almost entirely on a series of public-private partnerships, but has a conventional police force and fire department; town has a healthy balance sheet and high marks from residents on surveys about quality of life and government services. MORE

Jun. 22, 2012

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column contends that the deplorable conditions in New Jersey's system of privately run halfway houses should be considered in the broader context of a nationwide drive on the part of the political right to privatize government functions; asserts that halfway houses offer a glimpse of a corrupt nexus of privatization and patronage that is undermining government across much of the nation. MORE

Jun. 21, 2012

Gail Collins Op-Ed column mocks political enthusiasm for privatization, which is especially prominent among Republican lawmakers; argues that privatization often yields disastrous long-term social costs in exchange for short-term financial benefits. MORE

Jun. 13, 2012

United States Army is turning over its hotels where soldiers stay as they train, receive medical treatment or await housing to private companies, allowing them to build, renovate and operate them as a way to save money and modernize facilities; Privatization of Army Lodging program, or PAL, is part of an Army strategy of divesting itself of its noncore functions, focusing on its mission and allowing the private sector to take over in other areas. MORE

May. 27, 2012

Washington State is converting its 78-year-old liquor sales system from state to private control starting in June; privatization has created confusion, as well as temporary shortages of liquor. MORE

Apr. 2, 2012

Op-Ed article by researcher Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen warns that government outsourcing of border control and immigration to private contractors is dangerous because it eliminates government accountability and runs roughshod over the rights of those subjected to private corporations' control. MORE